From the bestselling author of Practical Magic, comes a beautiful spellbinding tale of magic, friendship and an ancient curse.
Twig lives in Sidwell, where people whisper that fairy tales are real. After all, her town is rumoured to hide a monster - and it is these rumours of a winged beast which draw in as much tourism to the town as its famous apple orchards. Two hundred years ago, a witch placed a curse on Twig’s family that was meant to last forever. But this summer, following the arrival of a new family in town, Twig may just have found her first true friend and an ally in vanquishing this ancient curse. It’s time to try and break the spell... but will everything change when the red moon rises?
Be enchanted by this magical and endearing new story from highly acclaimed and widely adored Alice Hoffman, who has yet again created a beautiful novel that will bewitch its readers from the first page until the very last.
Praise for Alice Hoffman:
'Alice Hoffman can write about love like no-one else' Jodi Picoult
'I love the way Alice Hoffman creates the most ordinary people and then turns their lives magical. She does it here once again, in Nightbird. The book is like re-entering in a wonderful dream that you vaguely remember.' Lois Lowry
'Hoffman knows how to tell a good story' Sunday Times
This was a really sweet book about the power of friendship and about being yourself. The story itself is reminiscent of old fables and fairy tales with a witch and a curse and a boy with wings, but is set in present day which makes this book very accessible to young readers. The writing is fantastic and draws you into the story right from the start. I loved Twig and how smart she was. You can really feel how lonely she is before Julia moves in next door. The friendship that develops between the two will ring true to Middle Grade readers. There's a hint of romance as well, which female readers will love, but nothing inappropriate for the age group. I suspect this book will appeal more to female readers in general. The main friendship is between two girls, the main character is a girl, and there's really not enough action to satisfy many of the boys I know.
Overall, I really enjoyed this modern fairy tale and loved that female friendships were portrayed in a very healthy way. Middle Grade readers looking for something with a hint of magic will enjoy this one.
Note: I received a copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.
Reading updates
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Started reading
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15 March, 2015:
Finished reading
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15 March, 2015:
Reviewed